Unexpected Aftermath
by Phantasmal Abduction
Summary: Axel has gone off the rails and his world is dissolving in drugs and alcohol. Lives will collide, change and possibly end... Nothing ever happens simply without unexpected aftermath. Rated M for drug use, abuse, lots of swearing and probably other things.
1. Prologue

Prologue.

It was his birthday and he was alone. All of his friends had faded away over the past 2 years and everyone he hung out with now was more of an acquaintance, there to fulfill a purpose and conspicuously absent when he needed more than a quick fix. On Axel's bed were scattered numerous crumpled pieces of paper covered with scrawled story notes, crushed under an empty bottle of Bacardi.

Seated in the large bay window, one black-clad leg dangling down and arms hugging the other knee, Axel stared out over the immaculate lawn. Every few seconds he lifted a bottle to his lips and took a gulp of alcohol almost on autopilot, his mind somewhere very far away. It was only when the rain started to fall, hammering hard against the window that the teen seemed to come back to himself and he stumbled back to his bed. He avoided glancing in the mirror above his dresser as he had no desire to see his disheveled red spikes of hair glaring against his drab black outfit, or the gaunt and pale blur that now passed for his face.

The day darkened into evening and Axel was well into his second bottle of rum. When he was finally able to summon the motivation he scrabbled in his desk drawer and popped the false bottom to access his stash. The contents of the secret compartment would have delighted a police officer and even the owner of said contents smiled mirthlessly at the size of the pouch in his hand. Propping himself up on his elbow he spread the assorted drugs out on his pillow to pick his high for his birthday.

Axel immediately set aside the ounce baggy of weed as his current level of coordination would make rolling a smoke pretty difficult. He paused briefly at the fabric bag containing his small collection of methamphetamine pills but then put the bag next to the pot. Fumbling with a plastic bag containing 5 tabs of LSD Axel was momentarily overwhelmed with a surge of self-hatred at what he had become and angrily tossed the bag back onto the bed. Sitting hunched over, hands balled into fists Axel fought against the sudden urge to burst into tears.

The spasm of self-pity passed quickly drowned in apathy and almost at random Axel snatched up a bag containing a jumbled mix of capsules and pills. Clumsily snatching up 2 pills and an opaque capsule the boy tried to still the trembling in his hands and gulped the pills down with a swig of rum. He sat for a second staring at the capsule resting on his palm before roughly shoving it in his mouth and washing it down too.

* * *

He slumped bonelessly in the leather-covered chair. It had taken visits to 9 different shops before he had found a tattoo artist who didn't care that their prospective client was both underage and stoned out of him mind. Wrapped in a drugged haze Axel tried to keep his face still and not smile, reflecting that it should have been easier to find someone amongst the disreputable ranks of facial tattooists who would ignore the state he was in.

Possibly days, but probably less than an hour later, Axel staggered out into the night. Hearing the town clock strike 3am and starting to feel a little sick the teen decided it was time to head for home. Despite, or possibly due to his recent truancy he felt a strange urge to get to school in the morning and he knew any less than 3 solid hours sleep would put paid to that good intention. Silent buildings loomed over his unsteady progress and there was no witness, friendly or otherwise, to step in as Axel's movements got increasingly more erratic until he eventually crumpled in a heap by a stone wall.

His head spinning Axel lay where he fell, unable to summon the strength to get up. He could hardly feel his legs which was worrying and the leather fingerless gloves he was wearing seemed to be wet. As his head and neck wouldn't cooperate to look down he settled for simply hoping that the wet feeling wasn't blood. Lifting his gaze to the stars Axel watched in fascination as the brilliant points of light blurred and began to drip down the sky. At this point he gave up on consciousness completely and felt the velvety darkness enfold his mind.

* * *

The week started normally enough. Well, normally enough for a life blighted by drugs, alcohol, lots of pain and a significant helping of neglect. For one thing Axel's 17th birthday came and went unnoticed except for a card full of cash from his mum who was currently jet-setting around tropical locations and his drug fueled trip to the tattoo shop. Another awesome thing was the letter he received from the school to inform him quite cordially that his presence in an interview with the principal was required. And yet another thing was the 4 inch long cut on his arm that was refusing to heal. Just an average start to a week, nothing to see here.

3 days after his birthday Axel went totally off the deep end. It could have been the complete absence of anything resembling a friend, it could have been the increasingly empty space engulfing the spot where his heart should have been or it could have been the mounting evidence that even his family thought he was worthless. It could have been a combination of all 3 but at this point Axel had no more shits to give.

He woke up on the morning of Saturday February 28th to the silence of an abandoned house. This was unexpected because even though he pretty much lived alone in the huge mansion he had been anticipating his mother home when he woke up, fresh off a 4am flight from Neverland as per the short call he received the day after his birthday. As his mother was the only family he had that he didn't loathe Axel viewed this short visit as a brilliant late birthday present.

In fact because his mum was due home Axel had even pulled it together enough the day before to stagger into school for the full day and he had also resisted the urge to down few cold ones in the evening to take the edge off. Now as he lurched out of bed at 11am he found himself already having to fight the onset of black depression. Briefly checking his mother's room to confirm that there was indeed no one there Axel reluctantly made his way down to the kitchen to the answerphone.

Axel gave into the gnawing in his gut and slopped a measure of Bacardi 151 into a glass, slamming it back in a smooth motion. He quickly poured himself another drink and before he could dither any longer he pushed the playback button on the answerphone. His mother's voice filled the room and cut Axel deeper than any blade.

'Hi Axie honey, I won't be home for a while after all baby. You won't believe what happened at the airport while I was waiting for my flight. I was in the VIP lounge and I got talking to this lovely man who ended up inviting me to holiday with him in Agrabah and it turns out he owns Red 13 magazine and he wants to give me a full spread! I hope you're not too disappointed sweetie, I'll send you some extra for your allowance tomorrow…'

Tifa's voice broke off for a second and a loud giggle came through the speaker. 'Zack, stop that, I'm leaving a message! Sorry Axie I have to go now, I'll see you for Christmas if I don't get home beforehand. Love you sweetie… Beeeeep.'

Frozen in disbelief Axel sat and stared at the answerphone. When he awoke to a house empty of his mother thoughts of a grounded plane and delayed flight had flickered through his head. What he had never even considered was that his own mother would blow off her only child for a guy she had just met an hour before. Axel loved his beautiful mum and did everything he could to try and be worthy of her attention and love; he knew that she didn't mean to hurt him when she did things like this but that still didn't stop the feelings of inferiority and worthlessness that slapped him across the face each time it happened.

By 3pm Axel was flying high on a cocktail of acid and DMT, nothing really seeming to matter anymore. The rooms of his mother's huge house seemed empty and depressing so he set out with the simple desire to find a connection in the beautiful and enticing world beyond the house's walls. His motorbike was tantalizing in its presence and within minutes Axel was accelerating along quiet streets in search of an indefinable something.

The wind flung his crimson hair into fiery tangles and his helmet was a forgotten concept at this point. The blue sky above rippled like the surface of the ocean; reality not part of his vocabulary anymore. Swerving seemed like the thing to do so he did it, gaining a momentary thrill from each irregular jolting change of direction. By now his course has taken him out of the gated community into the poorer suburbs and Axel grinned like a lunatic every time he dodged the odd oncoming vehicle.

Anyone in their right mind could have predicted a painful and possibly deadly end to this course of action, but Axel was many mental miles from being in his right mind. In the end all it took was a particularly fast sweep around a corner combined with an unexpected person getting out of a parked car. Axel had a split second to feel icy fear shoot down his spine before his motorbike crashed full speed into the open car door throwing the other person out of the door and Axel headfirst over the pavement into some trees.

Afterwards Axel was never sure if it was the effect of the drugs or a complete break from reality but he was able to remember the agonized cries of the other man as a sort of soundtrack to his slow-motion flight. The crunch and shriek of tortured metal mingled jarringly with the visceral sounds of pain and Axel watched the approaching trees with detached fascination until the impact with the lower branches slammed him into darkness.

* * *

Ventus had been sitting in his car and marking reports for the 3 psychology classes he taught at Destiny University. His day had so far been routine and he was looking forward to getting home because for once his little brother was cooking dinner. Ventus had made it a practice to not bring his work home but he sometimes wriggled around this by slipping a few students' reports into the car and parking outside his house to mark them. As his day finished at 2pm he was all finished with his marking by 3.15pm and ready to get inside and collapse on the couch.

Tucking the reports away in his work briefcase and sliding it under the seat Ventus opened the door and went to step out of the car. This was point when his day became anything but routine and his life changed irrevocably. Ventus' right leg was out of the driver-side door and all his weight was on it when he heard a noise that sounded like thunder. The blonde man looked around just in time to see a black bike screaming down on him and then the impact threw him violently through the air.

Like with Axel events seemed to slow for Ventus. His left leg broke with a deafening snap and the momentum of the bike spun him brutally around into the door of the car which had been ripped free. The impact with the door almost felt worse than the initial collision of the bike as it cannoned into his right ribcage and dragged a jagged edge down the length of the inside of his arm before spinning away. Then he was flung out into the road to roll to a stop in a blood stained heap on the centreline. Consciousness persisted however and Ventus could hear the screaming of neighbors who witnessed the accident, the thudding of running feet and later he could hear the beautiful sounds of sirens, off in the distance but getting closer.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One.

The movie was mediocre but they were laughing hysterically anyway; he would always remember that minor detail of that horrible day. Roxas had been chilling at his friend Zexion's house in the hours between school and the chore of cooking dinner when his cellphone rang showing an unlisted number. He hadn't thought anything of it when he picked up but his off-handedness had disappeared in a second along with the blood that drained from his face leaving him as pale as a ghost. Namine who happened to be looking at him had jumped from her chair but Roxas curtly waved her away, focussing fully on the call.

By the time Roxas hung up, staring into space, Namine, Zexion and Demyx were all standing around him looking worried and waiting to hear what had happened. Fleetingly the bitter thought 'I bet they won't manage to guess this one' drifted through his head but it was obliterated by the overwhelming wave of fear, helplessness and horror following in its wake. Before his friends could blurt out their questions Roxas, still gazing fixedly into the air, stated in a monotone, 'There's been an accident. Ventus is in hospital about to go into surgery. I have to go… I… Oh God… Zex, I didn't even drive over here, how the hell, oh fuck…' Roxas' voice grew increasingly shaky until he had to stop and swallow hard.

Before Roxas could panic any further Zexion swiftly stepped forward and put his arms around the distraught boy while Namine rummaged in her bag for her keys and Demyx grabbed their bags from the lounge. Roughly shoving his grey-blue hair out of his eyes Zexion hustled Roxas out of the door into Namine's car while the others silently followed and locked the door. Once seated in the car Roxas clenched his fists tight and struggled to stay in control.

The ride to the hospital was blur of half seen scenery and muted voices until Roxas' phone went off again, this time a call from the police. The cops were professional and succinct with their message, concisely informing Roxas that his brother had indeed been in a crash involving a motorcycle rider and that an investigation was underway. As the call progressed Namine was alarmed to see Roxas clenching his jaw tighter and tighter until he snapped the phone closed and buried his face in his hands. Not a word was spoken between the friends even after they reached the hospital and Zexion led Roxas to the front desk.

White faced and glassy eyed Roxas forced his broken voice to work and politely asked the duty nurse where he could find the room of Ventus Hakunetsu. He absently confirmed that he was Ventus' brother and was already staggering in the direction indicated when the nurse called after him that his brother wouldn't be back from surgery for another half an hour. Roxas was so shell-shocked that he didn't even notice the nurse stopping his friends from following him due to 'hospital rules kids, only immediate family can go through'. Demyx was just beginning to rip into the woman but all Roxas could hear was the beat of his heart in his ears.

When he was nearly at Ventus' room, room 358, a conversation across the hall filtered through the ringing in his ears and Roxas stopped dead in his tracks. Reaching shakily out so he could lean against the wall Roxas looked around and saw a doctor struggling not to yell at a cowering nurse. Drawn to the scene without fully knowing why Roxas crept across the hall and stood half hidden behind an empty stretcher listening to the conversation.

'…Stupid girl, there has to be someone in his family you can contact! This boy has been in a serious car crash, he's coming down off Gaia knows what drugs, he is under 18 _and_ we have no adult member of his family to consult about treatment! Do you think this will look good for the hospital if it gets out that our incompetent nursing staff can't even get it together enough to contact the family of a minor? No, I didn't damn well think so, so take his phone and go through the contacts one by one if you have to. Go and bloody do it then come back here so you can check his cast!'

Roxas watched the nurse scurry off down the corridor nearly in tears and then turned back to stare at the blonde doctor with a calculating expression on his face. Drawing on his years in the drama club Roxas wiped the growing anger off his face and took on an expression of suitable anguish before rushing over to the doctor arms outstretched.

Before the doctor could say anything Roxas launched into his act, 'Oh doctor thank Gaia, I've been wandering around for ages. My cousin was in a motorbike accident and I can't find his room and I'm so worried because me and my mum are the only family he has, please can you please tell me where his room is?'

Roxas had gambled that the doctor would be overwhelmed by the hysterical teen act and also that the man would associate him by default with the boy from his previous conversation. Both gambles paid off and the doctor put on an overdone air of consolation, leading him right to the room of the boy he confirmed was involved in a motorcycle accident only 3 hours before. Laying it on thick Roxas convinced the doctor that he needed a few minutes alone with his 'cousin' and waited for him to saunter away before slipping into the dimly lit room.

There was a huddled shape on the bed but Roxas was too angry to immediately take in the details. In a low voice he spoke conversationally and with forced calm, 'Hey, hey, were you just in a motorbike accident? With a guy getting out of a car?'

There was a long pause and just when Roxas was beginning to think he had found the wrong person a rough voice muttered, 'Yeah, that was me. What, are the reporters involved already?'

All of the anger and anxiety bubbling inside Roxas abruptly broke free and he slammed his hand violently against the light switch, causing the person on the bed to flinch in the sudden glare. He strode towards the lump of blankets crowned in bandages and wild red hair and yanked the sheets down so he could look into the face of the man who had put his brother in hospital. Roxas' fierce blue glare burned into the startled bright green gaze of the other teen.

'Why the fuck did you do it?' Roxas' voice was deceptively low and reasonable. 'I mean I heard that you were drunk and high but why the ever-loving FUCK would you get on that bike!' The control Roxas had over his emotions slipped completely and he could contain himself no longer. 'My brother is in surgery you dumb piece of shit, he could have died and he may actually never walk again. I just want to know if you give a fuck how many lives you ruin when you get drugged up and pissed off your face? Huh?'

* * *

When Axel heard an unfamiliar voice in his hospital room asking about the accident he groaned inwardly and cursed reporters. Not removing the prickly blanket from around his ears he muttered something snarky but cringed convulsively into the pillow when the light snapped suddenly on. The sheets were torn away from his face and Axel found himself staring at a blonde-framed face that could have been termed exquisite if the deep blue eyes weren't so full of rage. Speechless and almost breathless Axel was unable to even begin to form a response to the harsh words being hurled at him.

'You've got nothing to say huh? Nothing in your defense or anything? You got away from a crash you caused with a bump on the head and a fucking tiny cast and my brother is in surgery right now…' The words being spat at Axel trailed off into a choked sob that unexpectedly tugged at his heart.

Somehow finding his voice the redhead discovered now that he truly had no idea what to say. Hating himself for his incoherence he blurted out, 'I'm so sorry… I didn't mean it…'

The blonde boy's chin had dropped to his chest while he tried to get a hold of himself but at Axel's garbled apology his head snapped up and anger flared again in his eyes. The hatred in his stare was almost a physical blow to Axel and the loathing in his parting statement was even worse. 'You're sorry. You're fucking sorry. My brother might never walk again, he could have fucking _died_ and you're sorry. You know what, if you're so damn sorry then take it back so it never bloody happened and fucking kill yourself so you can't do it again!' Slamming out of the door and leaving the light on, the boy left as suddenly as he had come.

The teen's last furious shout ringing in his ears Axel lay in the hospital bed with his heart hammering. Everything the blonde boy had said was the truth but fuck it hurt to hear his shortcomings put so bluntly. Tears pricked at Axel's eyes, nothing to do with the pain of his head or wrist and he stared at the blank white ceiling wishing not for the first time that he was anyone other than himself.

* * *

As the door to the redheaded boy's room slammed shut behind him Roxas took off running. He could barely see through the tears of anger and panic but all he wanted was to get as far away from the cause of his pain as possible. Voicing his fears to the boy about Ventus had crystallized the worst case scenarios in his head, releasing a terror inside him that was threatening to overwhelm him completely.

The halls were deserted and dingy in the section of the hospital that Roxas finally stopped in and the lights flickered on and off. Slumped against the wall to regain his breath Roxas realized that he must have found his way into the closed-for-restoration section of the hospital and frustrated he growled out an obscenity. Totally and completely lost he looked around futilely for a hint of which direction to head in and nearly leapt out of his skin when a rough voice spoke from right next to his ear.

'Lost are ya kid? Can't imagine they put you in a room out this way.' The owner of the deep rumbling voice sauntered around from behind Roxas and smirked at the transfixed boy. 'Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. Since they stopped work I don't get much company when I'm on shift. Where are ya meant to be huh?'

So far beyond fear that he was flatly calm Roxas gazed at the huge man and said, 'My brother is in room 358 and I got turned around trying to find it. Can you point me in the right direction to get back to the main wards?' A slight wobble entered his voice on the last word as he suddenly understood how isolated he was in the company of a massive stranger and how unlikely it was that anyone would hear him scream if anything happened. Involuntarily he took a step backwards and found that his back was now to the wall.

Surprisingly the man chuckled throatily and stepped backward to put some room between them. He ran a large hand through his unkempt russet hair and shook his head ruefully, 'Sorry kid, I really didn't mean to scare ya. I didn't figure how threatenin' a stranger in a dark, abandoned corridor… Oh. Well I guess I didn't think at all to be honest. Look mate, if you want I can take you back to the wards or I can just give you the directions, you aren't too far. Kid? Are you okay?'

Unable to cope with the abrupt change of pace and the disappearance of tension Roxas had sagged back against the wall blinking back tears. Fear had flooded through his body at the sudden arrival of the stranger and the unexpected kindness he was now encountering had his mind so tangled that he was barely able to speak. Mustering all his self-control Roxas forced his mouth to work, 'If you don't mind could you show me where to go? I… My brother… Oh god I don't even know if he's okay, he was in surgery, I'm meant to be waiting for him…'

Roxas' words got faster and faster heading towards hysteria and the stranger took a risk, placing his massive hand on the boy's shoulder. Crouching down so that he could look into Roxas' wild blue eyes the man said softly, 'My name's Lexaeus kid. Follow me and I'll get you to your brother. Try and stay calm though okay? I don't know if I'm up to carrying you, right?'

Roxas' lips quirked in an involuntary half smile and he nodded his acquiescence. Gratitude filled him alongside the anxiety and panic and he felt as if he had to say something. 'Thank you Lexaeus, I'm Roxas. I, I really don't know how to thank you for this. I just need to get back to Ven and I'm so damn scared…' His words trailed off in a tremulous gulp and he was glad when Lexaeus just smiled beckoned for him to follow.

The huge man whose job was taking care of the hospital watched the distraught teen stumble into room 358. He always found himself getting emotionally invested in the various stories that spun into his life at the hospital, every time swearing that he wouldn't let it happen again and every time he saw a kid lost or in tears he gave in to the urge to do anything he could to ease the pain and confusion. Not being a doctor or even a nurse Lexaeus was aware that his contributions could only be fleeting and minimal but that still never stopped him from doing what he could.

As the door slipped shut behind him Roxas frantically scanned the interior of the room and found it empty of anything resembling his brother. Abruptly at the end of his strength and resilience Roxas collapsed in the chair next to the neatly made bed and gave up on choking back the sobs in his throat. The room echoed with the sounds of the boy's grief until he finally wore out his reserves and cried himself to sleep.

* * *

The overwhelming feeling of 'blur' encased Ventus. It seemed to him that he never really lost consciousness but there was a smudgy space in his mind that refused to show him the link between where he was sprawled on the road and where he was now, somewhere dimly lit and warm. Ventus instinctively tried to sit up but the explosion of pain in his ribs and leg ended that attempt and provoked a tortured groan waking Roxas who was slumped over the bed next to him. Momentarily unable to move for the pain Ventus stared at the ceiling with tears in his eyes as Roxas fumbled frantically for the pain relief button that the nurse had shown him.

Slowly the pain level decreased and Ventus, unable to believe he had survived such a devastating impact, weakly reached out to his brother and swallowed his own tears as the weeping boy clung to him desperately. The 2 boys had been alone in the world for so long that it was impossible for either of them to conceive of a world without the other in it. Feeling the strength of Roxas' sobs shake the bed Ventus finally gave in and let his tears fall.

A long time later Ventus gained enough control to begin soothing his little brother. As his hand moved in comforting circles on Roxas' back Ventus found his mind beginning to function again and by the time the boy's sobs began to taper off he was enough in command of himself to be sure of his next move. When he felt that Roxas was calm enough to talk to Ventus reached out and raised the boy's chin so he could look him in the eye.

Speaking was difficult but Ventus forced the words to come, 'Rox, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean to, I didn't want to leave you… I hate seeing you cry. How long has it, how long have I been out?'

Ventus' heart clenched at the broken sound in Roxas' voice as he whispered that he had only been out of surgery for 4 hours and it was probably around 11.30pm. Hugging the boy as tight as he could with his aching ribs he tried to give as much comfort as he took. They were still clutching each other 20 minutes later when a loud knock on the door made them both jump. Giving Roxas one last reassuring squeeze Ventus settled back on his pillow and hoarsely called for the knocker to come in.

* * *

For the second time in less than a day Roxas slammed through a door like he had a personal grudge against it. The policeman had come to talk to Ventus, pretty much ignoring him, and Roxas had been happy to sit in the corner quietly at first; then the questions had turned to what Ventus wanted in regards to criminal charges and his brother had said… Fuck, Roxas couldn't even think about it without wanting to throw up.

Slamming his fist into the unyielding wall Roxas slumped against the wall opposite his brother's room and slid down to the ground. He had stormed out of the room when Ventus had begun making excuses for the boy who had nearly killed him and then asked how he would go about dropping any charges. Fisting his hands into his hair Roxas just sat there in the hallway with his head bowed trying to figure out when the hell the world had gone insane.

'_You are Ventus Hakunetsu correct?' The officer spoke in a soft but firm voice and nodded to acknowledge Roxas before focusing his full attention on the blonde man in the hospital bed. 'Your doctor said that you would most likely be alert enough by now for me to ask you some questions about the accident and what you recall? If now isn't a good time then we can do this later, but if possible we like to get these interviews over and done so that proceedings don't drag out for all involved.'_

_With Roxas watching like a hawk Ventus had nodded his consent to the interview and gestured for the policeman to sit in the other chair by the bed. Without further ado the officer had seated himself and pulled out a small notebook before launching straight in, 'My name is Detective Xaldin Yari, officer in charge of your case. The instigator of the crash is effectively in police custody being also here in the hospital and as soon as we finish the interviews we can proceed with charges against him…'_

_At this point Roxas was unable to restrain himself and made both his brother and Detective Yari jump by snarling out, 'Good! As soon as that bastard is behind bars the better! He can't get away with doing this to my brother!'_

_Ventus placed a calming hand on Roxas' arm and once the boy had gotten control of himself gestured for Xaldin to continue. The expression on the detective's face hadn't changed and once he was sure Roxas was calmer he spoke again, 'We arrested the alleged juvenile offender at 9.37pm tonight and he is currently under guard in his hospital room. There isn't much we can do until the doctors clear him to leave medical care and we can take him to jail…'_

_This time it was Ventus who couldn't stop himself from breaking in. 'Who is he Detective? I mean what can you tell me about him? I know I'm meant to be telling you what I remember but who the hell is this guy?'_

_Sitting back in his chair Xaldin briefly considered his response and decided that the seriously injured man didn't need to be shielded from any of the details. 'The person operating the motorbike was one Axel Raffica age 17. Blood tests have shown that he had large amounts of alcohol in his system along with the drugs LSD and DMT. He had no helmet on but sustained no serious injuries in the crash apart from a broken wrist and mild concussion.'_

_Xaldin trailed off because Ventus' eyes had lost focus and the man appeared to be trying to remember something. Roxas was starting to look really worried when Ventus finally shook his head slowly and looked over at the detective with his brow furrowed. 'This Axel, he doesn't happen to be the son of the model Tifa Lockheart by any chance?'_

_When Xaldin nodded in confirmation Ventus collapsed back against his pillows forgetting about his ribs and groaning when the pain hit. Staring at the ceiling he said quietly, 'I knew I recognized that name. I worked on a case with a friend of mine doing a psych evaluation for a child abuse lawsuit must have been over 6 years ago now, back when I was fresh out of college. Some things just stick with you; the true horror of what one human being can do to another…'_

_Once again Ventus propped himself up and seeming to forget Roxas was even there locked his determined gaze onto the detective. 'I don't want to press charges Detective Yari. I believe that Island Law allows for the injured party to request the process of Restitutionem per Consequentias if they are prepared to drop all charges stemming from the incident.'_

_As the detective opened his mouth to speak Roxas beat him to it. Leaping out of his seat and literally shaking with anger he was shouting before he could stop himself, 'Are you fucking kidding me Ven?! This piece of shit was drunk and high and pretty much said he doesn't give a shit that he nearly killed you and you want to invoke some obscure fucking cop-out clause? What the fuck… I can't fucking believe this!'_

_The minute Roxas paused for breath both Ventus and Xaldin broke in with simultaneous demands to know when Roxas had spoken to the other party and because at this point it was either walk out or hit something Roxas stumbled out the door and slammed it behind him. All that was going through his head was 'How the hell can Ventus do this? I don't understand… That bastard has to pay…'_


End file.
